Fragile insulation materials are known in the art and include materials such as vacuum insulation panels. While these materials provide advantageous insulating properties, they often have weak mechanical attributes. For example, fragile insulation materials, such as vacuum insulation panels, are often manufactured from very friable materials, such as fumed silica, aerogel, perlite, or glass. As a result, these materials are susceptible to mechanical damage during use. Additionally, vacuum insulation panels rely on gas-tight enclosures to ensure proper vacuum, which provides the insulating capability to the material. Where this enclosure is compromised, such as through puncture, the insulating capabilities of the material are diminished or lost.
Attempts have been made at providing composites wherein fragile insulation materials (e.g., VIPs) are provided within a composite. For example, WO2006/134581 proposes an insulating panel wherein a VIP is embedded into a foam during manufacture of the panel. This manufacturing process includes the laying down of a first foam layer, followed by the positioning of a VIP onto the foam, and then the second laying down of foam over the VIP.
Methods, such as those proposed by WO2006/134581, suffer from apparent problems associated with the ability to properly position the VIP onto the foam layer. Efforts to solve these problems are shown in U.S. Publication No. 2013/0089696, wherein VIPs are adhesively secured to a facer material prior to the application of the foam material. The use of the adhesive enables accurate and stable positioning of the VIPs during the manufacturing process. This accurate positioning allows minimal gaps between the VIPs thereby reducing edge losses and allowing better tolerance for cutting final panel sizes.
While adhesively securing the VIPs to a facer may provide advantage with respect to the accurate and stable positioning of the VIP, a problem remains in that the VIP is not completely encased within, and therefore not completely protected by, the foam layer.
Since fragile insulation materials, such as vacuum insulation panels, offer advantageous insulating properties, their use as insulating materials within the construction industry would be highly advantageous. This usefulness, however, is contingent upon the ability to protect these materials from various mechanical forces. Moreover, the successful use of these boards within the construction industry will be contingent on the ability to develop continuous manufacturing processes that can efficiently and cost effectively produce commercial product.